Senate Rules Committee, January 29, 2026 Video: https://vimeo.com/1159666971 (a timestamp t plays at https://vimeo.com/1159666971#t=s) Page: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-01-29/senate-rules This is a machine transcript of the General Assembly's video, made by a speech-recognition model. It is not an official record and can mishear words, names, and numbers. Speakers are not identified. The video is the record: every timestamp links to the moment it plays. [0:02:59] Uh, Senator Albers, will you lead us in a word of prayer? [0:03:02] It'd be my honor, Mr. Chairman. Please bow your heads. Lord, thank you for today. Thank you for this great opportunity to serve you, and we ask you give us great wisdom and discernment throughout the, this meeting. For it's in your most holy name we pray, amen. [0:03:14] Thank you for that. And thank y'all for getting here quickly, especially the y'all, y'all that got here quickly. Um, all right, one late arriving addition to your yellow sheet, add SR five, uh... Was it 563? [0:03:31] 563. [0:03:32] Yep, 563. So add f- the one that was just on the floor as is available. All right. Um, all right, so we got SB 146. Senator Williams, you wanna cover that real quick? [0:03:47] Yes, sir. [0:03:47] Briefly. [0:03:48] This, um, is the cemetery protection bill that I've been working on several years with Senator Hatchett. And, uh, this just lays out more protections to cemeteries where there are being, uh, disturbed graves, and also gives heirs, uh, accessibility to go maintain 'em and- [0:04:08] All right, any questions? [0:04:09] No questions. [0:04:11] Senator Rhett, you got a question? [0:04:13] Yes. Senator. [0:04:14] Why are you always trying to bury people? [0:04:17] That's what I do. [0:04:18] Don't answer that. Don't answer that. [0:04:20] All right. [0:04:21] All right, moving on. Uh, SB 239. My understanding, Senator Williams, you're gonna be carrying this. [0:04:27] Yes, sir. For Senator Walker. [0:04:29] Correct. Okay. Jack, you got it? [0:04:31] Yes, sir. [0:04:32] Okay. Go ahead. [0:04:33] All right, this, uh, splits the license like it used to be, so you don't have to be a licensed embalmer to be a funeral director. So that's what this is. This also will help couples moving into Georgia, because there's 26 other states that this now is in effect, so a couple or s- a person could move into Georgia that's a licensed funeral director in another state and could get licensed through reciprocity here in Georgia. [0:05:02] Okay, any questions? Hearing none. All right. HB 117, that's, uh, Representative Petrie's shrimp bill we heard from the other day. Does anybody have any questions on that that my vice chairman can answer? [0:05:16] Nothing. [0:05:17] Nope. Hearing none. All right, and then SR 563, we all know that one. It was just on the floor. And, um, so I am, I'm gonna go ahead and make that a, put that back on the floor. So that'll be on for Monday, so you can circle that. And let's do some picks. My president pro tem, you gonna get the first official pick- [0:05:43] Thank you, Mr. Chairman [0:05:44] ... of 2026 Rules Committee. [0:05:47] I'm, I'm honored. I appreciate it, and as a- [0:05:50] 2000 and 26 in the year of our Lord. Go ahead. [0:05:55] Thank you, Chairman. Uh, as a gesture of, of goodwill and friendship with our colleagues in the House, I'd like to pick House Bill 117. [0:06:05] Oh, the shrimp bill. All right. Guess what? You got our first ding-ding of the year. Congratulations. Would you like to use that pick now or wait? [0:06:18] Uh, I think I will, uh, hold that. [0:06:21] Okay. All right. Well, then I'm gonna go to my vice chairman and give you the next pick. [0:06:27] Okay. Um, we'll go with, uh, a Senate bill this time, um, Senate Bill 239. [0:06:37] All right. [0:06:37] Good pick. [0:06:39] Funeral home bill. Shocker. Okay, I think that's enough for Monday. We don't wanna overwork you guys. We'll just kinda ease into the session. Okay, what's the will of the committee? [0:06:54] Make a motion. [0:06:55] I got a motion to pass of SB 239, HB 117, and SR 563. Any further discussion? Oh, I got a second from Senator Rhett. Any further discussion? All right. All in favor say aye. [0:07:12] Aye. [0:07:12] All opposed say nay. Motion carries unanimous. [0:07:17] Good job. [0:07:18] Meeting adjourned. [0:07:19] Great, great job, Larry